By Sanjeev Kumar Patro
Bhubaneswar: When the hoax bomb threats at airports and airlines have grown menacingly, Sunday saw the nuisance rocking nearly two dozen hotels across the 3 states of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.
Reports suggest nearly two dozen hotels across Kolkata, Tirupati and Rajkot plunges into chaos after receiving bomb threats via email – that later found to be hoax calls. This comes close on the heels of a whopping 90 hoax bomb threats against Indian airlines in the past week.
This unprecedented surge in fake bomb threats against multiple Indian and international airlines has led to severe disruption in India’s aviation industry and created a heightened sense of panic among air travelers.
HISTORY OF HOAX CALLS IN INDIA
A glance at the hoax bomb calls to airlines shows it not to be a new trend in India. However, what seems the new trend is – the stupendous spike in hoax bomb calls to airports/airlines. The data available with the Union Aviation ministry reveals the following.
- The hoax bomb calls made to airports in the country in the years of 2014, 2015 and 2016 stood at 120.
- The data shows an average of 40 hoax calls a year.
- Delhi Airport alone accounted 0ne-third of total 120 calls in 3 years.
- Second vulnerable airport was Mumbai, followed by Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore.
- The peril subdued after the dismantling of public call offices in the following years.
- However, 2024 saw a sharp uptick in hoax calls.
2024: YEAR FOR HOAXERS
The bomb hoax calls grew stupendously in year 2024. Not only airlines, airports, but schools, malls and hospitals were not spared. Here are the detail about hotspots and timelines below.
- Delhi topped the list with nearly 200 such bomb threats
- Rajasthan occupied the second spot, followed by Gujarat and Maharashtra.
- Fake bomb threat cases mostly came in from states like Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chennai, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa and West Bengal.
THE TIMELINE
- Late April: The first wave of fake bomb threat calls made to Kolkata and Jaipur airports.
- The medium of fake threat was email.
- This was followed with another wave of fake bomb threat calls to airports like Bhopal, Dabolim (Goa) and Mumbai.
- Within 48-96 hours, 30 airports under Airport Authority of India received hoax bomb threat calls.
- Threat messages send to 90 different emails of airports and security agencies.
- MAY 1: When the general elections in the country were underway, hoax bomb threat calls were made to schools. The single saw 200 schools in Delhi receiving such fake bomb threats.
- Delhi police probe traced the email address to Russian IP address.
- MAY 6: the scene shifted to Gujarat. 41 schools in Ahmadabad received hoax bomb calls.
- May 12: Hospitals in Delhi, Delhi Airport and Northern Railway office received fake bomb threat from a Cyprus based e mail id.
- MAY16: On the 16th anniversary of 2008 Jaipur bombings, 55 schools in Jaipur received fake bomb threats. Also received threats were Tihar Jail and some hospitals in Delhi.
- MAY 15: Delhi – Vadodara air India flight crew discovered a threatening message in Plane’s wash room.
- MAY 19: The fake bomb threats spread to commercial establishments like McDonald in Dadar, Mumbai.
- MAY 22: fake bomb threat made to Ministry of Home Affairs. Police for the first time saw sender using virtual private networks (VPN) to mask the IP address.
- MAY 23: Bomb threat call made to a star hotel in Bengaluru. The sender identified himself as Daudee Jiwal, son of an IPS officer who has colluded with Pak based ISI and Tamil-Nadu based political family. This is done at the behest of the TN political family involved in Drug scandal.
- The same day saw fake bomb calls made to scores of colleges in Delhi.
- MAY 26: Hoax bomb plot shifted to Chennai airport.
- MAY 28: bomb threat letter found in a Varanasi bound Indigo flight.
- Around the same day, bomb threat received at official residence of Telangana CM.
- MAY 29: Fake bomb threat call made to Bangalore’s Kempegowda International airport.
- MAY 31: Srinagar bound Vistara flight enroute Delhi received a threat.
- The month of June saw 41 airports receiving fake bomb threats
- JUNE 2: Vistara Airlines flight from Paris to Mumbai received a hoax bomb threat in a handwritten note on an airsickness bag
- JUNE 3: Akasa air flight bound for Mumbai diverted to Ahmedabad following a hoax bomb threat.
- JUNE 18: an IndiGo flight from Chennai to Mumbai landed under emergency conditions following a hoax bomb threat sent to airlines Delhi centre.
- JUNE 28: a Vistara flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Mumbai faced a bomb scare. Reports said a tissue paper with a bomb threat message was found onboard the aircraft.
- AUGUST 21: Nearly 100 hospitals and malls in Delhi received fake bomb threat calls.
- SEPTEMBER 6: a Vistara flight from Mumbai to Frankfurt made emergency landing at Erzurum (Turkey), when a piece of paper with "bomb on board" written was found in a lavatory on the aircraft.
OCTOBER TOPPED ALL: The fake bomb threat call resumed in the second week of October. In 13 days, more than 300 flights received such fake threat messages
- An Air India Express Plane enroute to Singapore had to escort by two air force jets following such fake bomb threat alert.
- OCTOBER 26: 33 flights again received a fake bomb threat.
PATTERN NOTICED
When the email addresses, use of VPN, significant dates and the contents were looked into, the following pattern has come to fore.
- Sunday’s Hotel hoax bomb scare, especially in Tirupati, as per police, the message made reference to one Jaffer Sadiq, Tamil Nadu film producer and a Drug lord.
- Again, like the May 23 fake bomb threat, this time, the e-mailer mentioned name of high profile individuals like TN Dy CM Udaynidhi Stalin spouse Kiruthiva and TN DGP Shankar Jiwal.
- The MAY 23 fake threat was on Hotels in Bengaluru, and this time too on hotels but in Andhra Pradesh.
- But this time the emails further contained a line: “Afzal Guru will be re-born! Al-Badr!”
- The above shows this fake threat ‘bombing’ is being done by an organized crime gang, including terrorist organsiations.
- The pattern shows a design, not just a simple prank, though, Police have arrested a teenager in Delhi recently.
WHY HOAX BOMB THREAT ‘BOMBING’ ON?
Though the Indian laws have the following penal provisions to punish the actors behind fake bomb threats, the failure on the part of police to trace them and bring under the law of land seems giving buoyancy to such anti social and anti national elements.
LEGAL STICK TO BEAT
- Section 505(1)(b): this provision covers statements that cause public alarm. Punishment up to 3 yrs.
- Section 507: Criminal intimidation through anonymous communication. 2 year punishment
- Section 182: making a false report to public servants with intent to cause harm. 6 month imprisonment.
- UAPA 1967: if the threat creates a perception of terrorism, then this provision can be invoked.
- Disaster Management Act 2005: For creating panic that disrupts emergency services. 1 year imprisonment
The provisions,except UAPA 1967, described above shows bailable and lesser punishment terms are fuelling the hoax bomb call with a greater impunity. The Union govt is now mulling to bring in amendments to tighten noose around hoaxers.
